Lake Life

by Tanya Boteju

 Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, this charming, chaotic romance follows two teens who agree to fake-date when stuck together one summer in a quirky, scenic lake town.

This is definitely not how Maya wanted to spend the summer—depressed at her once-beloved cabin in Spruce Lake, and unable to avoid seeing her lifelong best friend, Rashida, after confessing her woefully unrequited love to her last year. Maya can’t decide if she wants to escape, or convince Rashida they’re still meant to be.

Gabe is sent to Spruce Lake by her mom in hopes she stays out of trouble. Gabe is NOT excited to be here. She does NOT like nature. She does NOT want to spend her summer in a tiny town with outdoorsy environmentalist types.

Gabe is pretty sure she’ll be spending this entire summer bored and alone…until she meets Maya. Together, they hatch a fake-dating scheme to make Rashida jealous and convince Gabe’s mom that Gabe has turned a wholesome new leaf.  

But as the plan plays out, and Gabe and Maya contend with protests, a relentlessly concerned community, and romantic twists, they start to realize that their assumptions about friendship and love might have led them completely astray. Can they find their way through this mess without hurting each other in the process?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Lesbian, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult Romance, Lesbian Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 26, 2026

About the author

TANYA BOTEJU lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, BC). Part-time, she teaches English to clever and sassy young people. The rest of her time, she uses writing as an excuse to eat pastries. Her debut novel, KINGS, QUEENS, AND IN-BETWEENS, was named a Top Ten Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association, as well as selected for the American Librarian Association 2020 Rainbow List. Her second novel, BRUISED, was selected as a Gold Standard book by the Junior Library Guild. Look for another YA novel, MESSY PERFECT, and a middle grade nonfiction book about allyship in 2025. In both her teaching and writing, Tanya hopes she’s bending the universe even the tiniest bit toward justice. Visit her at tanyaboteju.com.

Reviews

[gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake dating is my favorite romance trope and I had no doubt I'd be requesting this when I saw it. However, the slow start coupled with the fact that I could connect with Gabe and Maya did not make this the most enjoyable reading experience. The entire book spans over 2 weeks and I feel that's where the issue lays. It's quite difficult to convince me that these two teenagers get so attached in only 2 weeks lol.

The subplot of environmental activism, and protecting the land and indigenous practices of reciprocity with the earth was so interesting and written with such care. I've read Braiding Sweetgrass so I can't explain how excited I got when I saw the quote at the start of the book.

The narrator for Maya through,was far too slow compared to Gabe's and I was stuck in the limbo where a faster speed rendered Gabe's pov incomprehensible.Other than that it was a good narration

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the alc in exchange for an honest review

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.

This one got me with the cover. Knowing it was a diverse read with BIPOC and queer characters, I was sold.

This no-spice YA romance has a lot going for it. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and I was excited to jump in.

It took me a little bit to warm up to the two main characters. At first I attributed it to them being teens, so in that way I may not be the target audience, but as the mother of a young teen I was sure I’d be able to make it through. My issue mostly came from their demeanor and actual speech though.

I usually love short chapters but these were sometimes especially short. Frequently we would get lots of telly inner monologue, tons of backstory, and minimal to moderate dialogue. This book would have benefited from really letting the reader be immersed in the action of the story. Instead of telling us the drama of the previous summer, a prologue with this playing out as an example. Or, instead of recapping of the evenings or activism meetings, let us experience the planning process as the event was portrayed to be central to the story. I wanted to be emotionally invested but I never quite got there because of the telling nature of some of the key moments.

My biggest hiccup was with the connection between the love interests. We go from fake dating, to enjoying friendly company, to intense pining that seemed to come from nowhere. I did appreciate the resolution given their age.

Knowing this is an ARC, I hope SO MUCH that this book gets deeper into the action and emotion prior to publication, because it deserves it. The potential here is amazing.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Fans of fake dating turned real love will find exactly what they are looking for in this newest effort from Boteju.

Gabe and Maya are intriguing characters independently, and their fake dating journey is also fun to read. I had some challenges really believing the authenticity of their romantic connection, but not to an overwhelming degree. I appreciate that they had other parts of life to consider and other interests besides romance (as the opposite scenario makes me enraged - get a life!).

There's one unforgiveable thing that happens in the audio narration that absolutely has to be fixed. I went back to listen to the section multiple times because I could not believe there was such an egregious error. At one point, the narrator is voicing a section on _The L Word_, and she references Bette and Tina. Now no one in their right minds who has ever seen that show and been impacted by it in the way these characters should have been would pronounce "Bette" "Betty" instead of, phonetically, "bet." "Betty and Tina?!" WHAT?! Unless my ears deceived me multiple times - and hey I'm human so maybe? - this was a WILD error. I beg for a correction before publication date! Please!

There's a lot to like about this fun little fake dating flirtation, including the ecocritical connections. This was a fun read, and though every _L Word_ fan will die inside if that error doesn't get adjusted, it's an otherwise great listen, too.

*Special thanks to NetGalley, Quill Tree Books, and HarperCollins for this arc and alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

This book has a lot of things going for it. First off, that gorgeous cover! The art is beautiful and really does a good job of capturing the vibes of the book. Fake dating may be one of my favorite romance tropes, so I knew I would like this. The story itself is not groundbreaking, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a sweet summer romance with an undercurrent of found family and environmental activism- not new ground to cover, but Lake Life does it very well.

I had a bit of a slow start to it, to be honest. I wasn’t totally in love with the characters until I got past the first 50 pages or so. It’s not that I disliked it, I just wasn’t initially drawn to Maya and Gabe. However, the story/writing finds its footing after a slow initial start. As we got to know them better, I found myself liking the story more and more and was utterly charmed by the ending. Gabe and Maya are a sweet couple, and I loved how the author does not try to prove that these girls who have known each other for a few weeks at this point, are going to get married and live happily ever after. The relationship they have is healthy for them and is a point of growth- that’s what matters more than the endgame-ness of the couple.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars
This book is a delightful story about two queer teenage girls finding new love and letting go of romantic familial expectations. The ensemble of characters in this story is very diverse with tons of queer characters. The main characters, Maya and Gabe, are flawed, but grow a ton throughout the story. The two girls’ chemistry was adorable for the beginning and had me rooting for them as the reader. While the romance was very entertaining, I also really enjoyed the plot lines about community action and environmental activism. Overall Lake Life by Tanya Boteju is a charming queer YA romance book that I will definitely be recommending to my fellow YA readers!

What I loved:
~ Lots of queer characters!
~ Lovable, but flawed main characters!
~ Diverse ensemble of characters!
~ Environmental activism plot

What I didn’t love:
~ The way some lines were written felt like how adults think teenagers talk, versus how they actually talk.
~ I wanted a more satisfying conclusion at the end with Gabe’s family issues.

Breakdown of my rating -
💙 romance: ★★★★☆ 4/5
🦋 diversity: ★★★★☆ 4/5
📘 plot: ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
🖋️ writing: ★★★☆☆ 3/5
overall rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5

Thank you HarperAudio Children’s for providing me with a ARC of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jesaka Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanya Boteju is a must-read author for me and she gets better with every book she writes. LAKE LIFE is excellent. The world of Spruce Lake is richly drawn, with vivid physical descriptions and deeply developed characters. I initially hesitated to read this novel because of the fake dating plot; however, Boteju manages to deliver the story with an original approach through main characters Maya and Gabe. Both of the teen characters have their own growth arcs away from each other and together, which gives the novel a lot of depth. The relationship between Maya and her best friend Rashida (and "real" love interest at the start of the book) is so well developed that it's hard to read at times--it feels so believable and drawn from life. It's impossible to not feel for Maya and her confusion. Gabe has a well-written arc rooted in her feelings and experiences (including abandonment) by her two moms. This storyline includes imperfect queer characters (yes!!) and a teen finding her own agency and using it. I especially love how the character mostly likely to be described as "the town curmudgeon" connects with Gabe and develops a strong mentor-mentee relationship. Overall, I loved this book.

[Pujashree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems YA is in a activist youth and summer romance phase, because this is the second of its kind I've read this year. This one is light on the activism, since none of the main characters are overtly land rights activism focused, but fall into it as a community activity with their friends and neighbors and a cast of wholesome characters. And honestly, that was the best part about this. The protagonists themselves are rather one-note tropey: the rejected romantic and the chaotic cynic, and they're both just bored and rattling about while their families are either too invested or not at all. This felt less like a story and more of a idyllic snapshot of a summer fling fantasy. Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook eARC, which meant it was a fluffy enough read to finish quickly. I preferred the Gabe narrator more than the Maya one, but honestly, Maya was just a less interesting character. I feel fortunate that we now get a plethora of queer YA stories such that this can be a middling one and not have to hit all the intersections of being a young queer person. This one has a lot of heart but not particularly memorable. Except Jan, everyone needs a Jan.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Harper Kids and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

This was a really sweet small town fake dating romance with some big, heavy emotions mixed in amongst the fluff.

I loved how different both Gabe and Maya are from each other and how they brought out new sides of each other. It’s very much an “opposites attract” situation but they rub off on each other so well, it’s a perfect combo.

Gabe’s relationship with her mums really broke my heart. They blamed her for so much and so she in turn blamed herself, and it just frustrated me so much that neither of them seemed willing to be a mum to this teenager who was mostly acting out due to a lack of love. I loved that she found community with the people of Spruce Lake and learned to let some of her barriers down.

Maya grew in confidence so much over the course of this book and I was so proud of her for working through her feelings and really going for what she wanted.

There’s so many wonderful side characters in this one, too. I especially loved Jan but honestly, they were all great.

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complimentary ALC’s from Harper Children’s Audio via NetGalley are always appreciated in my reading stack as the productions are always well done and the content right in my wheelhouse.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet, much like the book itself.

While this wasn’t a personal favorite, it was still an enjoyable read overall, especially with its strong activism message, which feels particularly meaningful for teen readers.

There’s also solid representation throughout, and the narration was expertly handled by Ariana Delawari and Elena Rey. They both did a fantastic job bringing the dual POV to life, clearly distinguishing voices as they traded off narration in this YA fake dating romance meets activism-driven story.

For its intended audience—teen readers—I think this would be a great addition to their TBR. For adults like myself who still gravitate toward YA, it’s a perfectly fine read, just not one that climbs to the top of my recommendation list.

[Michael Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lake Life by Tanya Boteju is a realistic novel where fake dating meets environmental protests. Maya is back at Spruce Lake for the summer, but she is still reeling from the crushing humiliation she suffered at the end of the previous summer. Maya very publicly confessed her love to Rashida, her lifelong best friend – who most definitely did NOT share the same romantic feelings. And EVERYONE knows about Maya’s spectacular rejection. The novel is also narrated by Gabe, whose mother sent her to spruce lake with instructions to stay out of trouble. Stop partying. Enjoy nature. As if. Gabe meets Maya, and the two concoct a plan to fake-date in the hope that Rashida will get jealous and fall in love with Maya. Fake-dating Maya also helps Gabe look like she’s turned a new leaf by dating the down-to-earth environmentalist Maya. Gabe gets involved in Maya’s family protests over a developer that is trying to destroy a big section of the lake to build a resort, but then things go spectacularly wrong with both Gabe’s mom and her growing attraction to Maya. Like the best rom-coms, this book is a delightful read and as an added bonus, Lake Life both references and relies on two classic books: Braiding Sweetgrass and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. This is a fantastic read during the summer, or any time of the year! Recommended for all high school libraries and young adult sections at all public libraries.